Celebrating the first Christmas since his election, Pope Francis preached the goodness and tenderness of God, and prayed that men and women around the world would allow God’s grace to transform them into peacemakers.

In another wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis denied he was a Marxist but said he took no offense at the label; dismissed the notion of women cardinals; and reflected on Christmas as an occasion of joy, tenderness and hope.

Pope Francis has been named Person of the Year by Time magazine. During his nine months in office, the Pope had pulled “the papacy out of the palace and into the streets”, managing editor Nancy Gibbs told BBC News.

Pope Francis has become the latest figure in Rome’s wax museum with a statue depicting the pontiff smiling in the iconic moment when he appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after his election.

Is Pope Francis sneaking out of the Vatican at night to give alms to the poor? A recent interview with Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, who works in the little-known post of Vatican “Almonor” or alms-giver, seems to suggest so.